Caps



Sept. 13, 1955 H. R. PoRTls 2,717,393

CAPs

Filed Nov. 17, 1952 :fi/ INVENTOR.

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United States Patent O CAPS Henry R. Portis, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Portis Style Industries, Inc., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application November 17, 1952, Serial No. 320,895

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-172) The present invention relates to improvements in caps, and particularly to improvements in the construction of caps having ear protectors associated therewith.

There are many types of caps for winter wear, many of which are provided with ear protectors of various kinds. Some such caps have ear protectors secured thereto in a manner which permits them to be folded upwardly against the opposite sides of the crown or top of the cap or downwardly over the ears. The ear protectors are sometimes individual muif-like members or pads, whereas in other instances they are formed as a part of an outband that extends around the back of the cap to either side thereof. Caps wherein the ear muifs or pads are part of a continuous outband are provided with means for covering the nape of the neck when the ear muffs are turned down over the ears. Such a cap frequently is provided with an over-strap which is used to hold the band and the pads folded over against the cap or snugly against the ears. The present invention has to do with improvements in this type of a cap and particularly in providing novel means to insure that the ear muifs or pads are held in a snug clamping position over the ears of the wearer when turned down and in firm position snugly against the sides of the cap when they are turned up.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a cap with a novel outband and ear muffs of the character referred to.

Another object is to provide reinforcing means in a combination outband and ear mulf portion of a cap, which reinforcing means is sufficiently flexible to permit the outband and muifs to be folded easily and quickly upwardly or downwardly.

Another object is to provide a novel reinforcement for an outband.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as theV description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of the structure may be made without departing from the spirit or sacricing any of the advantages of the invention.

For the purpose of facilitating an understanding of my invention, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawings preferred embodiments thereof, from an inspection of which, when considered in connection with the following description, my invention, its mode of construction, assembly and operation, and many of its advantages should be readily understood and appreciated.

Referring to the drawings in which the same characters of reference are employed to indicate corresponding or similar parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Fig. l is a perspective View of a cap embodying the features of the present invention.

2,717,393 Patented Sept. 13, 1955 ice Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional View taken substantially on line 2 2 of Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of the back of the cap shown in Fig. 1, but illustrating the outband turned down.

Fig. 4 is an elevational View of the inside face of one of the layers of fabric making up the outband.

Fig. 5 is a view showing one of the reinforcing members.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 4 but iliustrating a modified construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, the cap illustrated includes a crown 11 having an outband, generally indicated at 12, secured to a part of the lower edge of said crown. The outband 12 extends from one side of the crown across the back thereof and terminates at the oposite side thereof. As illustrated, the outband may be folded outwardly and upwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. l or downwardly into the position illustrated in Fig. 3. In the latter instance, the outband overlies the nape of the neck of the wearer and covers the ears. It is preferred, although not essential, that the outband 12 be of minimum width in the area extending across the back of the cap and that it increase considerably in width as it approaches the sides thereof so as to define relatively large end portions 13 of suicient size to completely overlie the ears of the wearer. It is preferred also that the end portions of the outband include a fiber covering which preferably is wool but may be composed of any material useful to insure warmth to the wearer.

One of the serious objections to the use of caps having outbands of the general character described above, is the fact that the end portions 13 fail to conform substantially to the contour of the crown of the cap when the outband is folded upwardly. It has also been observed that such conventional types of caps lack means to hold the outband and the ear muff portions 13 snugly against the neck and ears, respectively, of the wearer when turned down. Quite obviously any looseness in the t of the outband when turned down about the neck and over the ears of the wearer utterly defeats its purpose.

The present invention is, therefore, concerned with providing means in the outband to insure a snug fit of the outband and the ear muli? portions about the neck and over the ears of the wearer when the outband is turned down as is illustrated in Fig. 3

The instant construction also affords means whereby, when the outband is turned upwardly over the crown of the cap, to hold the ear muif portions 13 snugly against the crown. Accordingly, novel reinforcing means is provided in the outband to attain these results.

In the form of outband illustrated, said outband is composed of two thicknesses of material 14 and 15, respectively. The section of material 15 preferably is fabricated from a single piece of suitable stock usually of a kind corresponding to the stock from which the cap is fabricated. The other section 14 of the outband preferably is fabricated from two pieces, 14a and 14h. These two pieces 14a and 14b are suitably joined together at complemental ends in a seam 16 and, during fabrication of the outband, the complemental longitudinal edges 17 of the two sections of material 14 and 15 are sewn together, as at 18, to provide a seam which is disposed on the inside of the joined sections. This structure is perhaps best illustrated in Fig. 2, which also illustrates the manner in which the other longitudinal edges 19 of the outband sections 14 and 15 are joined to the lower edge of the crown 11.

Referring now to the specic disclosure shown in Figs. l through 5, each piece of material 14a and 14b is provided with a piece of tape 21 which is laid over the inside face thereof and stitched thereto by rows of stitches 22 to provide, in effect, longitudinal pockets each substantially co-extensive with the length of the pieces 14a and 14h. One or more rows of stitches 23 is provided to close each pocket adjacent to the seam 16. The stitches 23 are selectively positioned with respect to the seam 16 so as to provide pockets of varying length in outbands of different sizes specifically constructed for caps of different sizes. It has been found that the position of the rows of stitches 23 does not vary greatly in different sized caps.

It should be apparent at this time that an elongated open-ended pocket is provided on the inside face of each of the outband sections 14n and 14h and that the pockets serve to maintain the two layers 14 and 15 of the outband mutually spaced from each other to provide a heat insulating air space therebetween. Each of these pockets is adapted to receive a reinforcing member which preferably consists of a pre-shaped length of stiff shape retaining stock such as wire 24. Upon referring to Fig. 5, it will be noted that the piece of wire stock there illustrated is curved substantially. This curvature is to conform substantially to the normal curvature of the crown 11 in the area normally underlying the outband 12 when the latter is turned upwardly thereover. Each end of the reinforcing member may be tipped as at 25. The tipping of the ends of the reinforcing members may be accomplished by dipping the ends in moulten plastic, although it should be understood that any suitable or conventinally acceptable means may be utilized to cover or otherwise eliminate the normal sharp end on the wire stock. Dipping or otherwise dulling the ends of the wire stock prevents said stock from inadvertently piercing the material forming the outband 12.

As is perhaps best illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, one reinforcing member 24 is inserted into each of the pockets formed by the stitched tape 21 and because of their contour, the outband assumes substantially the shape of the crown of the cap and of the head of the wearer.

The reinforcing members 24 are fabricated in two shape retaining parts as has been noted hereinabove and the use thereof in the outband does not in any way interfere with free folding of said outband either upwardly or downwardly. The gap or space afforded between the inner opposed ends of the reinforcing members 24, as defined by the rows of stitches 23, is suticient to afford the necessary exibility to permit ready adjustment of the outband with minimum etort. At the same time the rigidity of the reinforcing members 24 insures a snug fit of the ear mutfs or pads over the ears of the wearer when the outband is in its downwardly turned position and further insures the retention of the outband snugly against the crown of the cap as illustrated in Fig. 2 when the outband is turned upwardly.

The Fig. 6 construction differs somewhat from that previously described in that the reinforcing members 24 are not tipped. As a consequence, it is advantageous to reinforce the outband portions 14e` and the tape 21a. As illustrated, the tape 21a is sewn to the outband material 14a` by rows of stitches 26 and the tape is of sufficient length to permit its end portions to be folded over, as at 27, and stitched at 28 to reinforce the ends thereof and thereby resist piercing by the untipped ends of the reinforcing member 24. Additional reinforcement is provided by sewing a patch 29 beneath each end of the tape 21a.

It is believed that my invention, its mode of construction and assembly, and many of its advantages should be readily understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should also be manifest that while preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown and escribed for illustrative purposes, the structural details are nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What 1 claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A cap assembly comprising a crown formed to en gage the top of a wearers head, an outband attached along one edge to the lower edge portion of said crown, said outband extending from one side of the crown across the back of the cap to the other side of the crown, said outband comprising a pair of superimposed layers of material, a pocket in the outband adjacent its free edge, said pocket consisting of a strip of material arranged between and superimposed on one of said outband layers, a pair of shape-retaining members contained in said pocket, said members being located one on each side of the back center of the outband, and means for maintaining the ends of said members adjacent said back center mutually spaced from each other to provide said outband with an unreinforced easily flexed area at said back center.

2. A cap assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein the strip of material projects from said one layer of the outband toward the other layer so as to maintain the two layers mutually spaced from each other to provide a heat insulating air space therebetween.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 365,061 Friedman June 21, 1887 384,214 Osmer June 5, 1888 389,948 Wood Sept. 25, 1888 471,607 Geer Mar. 29, 1892 694,160 Kops Feb. 25, 1902 986,895 Blackwell Mar. 14, 1911 1,401,745 Werner Dec. 27, 1921 1,639,468 Rosenberg et al Aug. 16, 1927 1,984,521 Deegan Dec. 18, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS 343,103 France July 26, 1904 

